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Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and what better way to celebrate this Irish holiday than with some traditional Irish fare. And you can’t get any more “traditional Irish” than Shepherd’s Pie. Originally called “Cottage Pie” this hearty dish was a means to use up roasted meat of any kind. The Shepherd part didn’t come into play until 1877, and is generally used when the meat is lamb (mutton).

However, I am not a fan of mutton, plus it’s super expensive, so I opted for a more economical, typically American choice: ground turkey. Affordable, lean, and easy to find in any grocery store, ground turkey can be a great substitute in many recipes that call for ground lamb, wild game, or beef. The mild flavor is like a blank canvas with so many possibilities to please your palate. If you prefer to go the traditional route, you can use mutton or beef, or even a mixture of the two, in place of the turkey.

There are quite a few steps that take you back and forth so don’t forget to read the recipe through first! There’s a lot going on, but all the steps are oh, so worth it! I hope you enjoy my spin on this dish. Enjoy! ~Joanie

Peel and quarter potatoes. Fill a large stock pot with water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once potatoes are tender, drain and set aside.

In a deep skillet or sauce pan, brown meat. Remove the cooked meat from the pan and set aside. Keep the pan and drippings for a later step. (If you’re using ground beef or lamb, you may want to drain it, as these meats are much fattier than turkey.)

While the meat is browning, you should have time to caramelize the corn. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the corn to a skillet and cook on medium-high heat until you see it start to turn dark golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Caramelizing the corn brings out the sugar and adds a really yummy layer of flavor. Adjust the heat accordingly if it starts to scorch, you don’t want burned corn ruining your yummy dinner!

In the pan you browned the turkey in, add 2 Tbs of the butter and let it sizzle on med-high heat for about 1 minute. Don’t let it burn. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery all at once, reduce heat to medium and let it all cook together for about 5 minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the veggie pan and add 2 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of flour and whisk together to form a roux. When the roux is golden in color, slowly begin to add about 1/2 the turkey stock, whisking as you go.

Once the mixture begins to thicken, add the rest of the stock, the fresh rosemary sprigs (whole, you’ll fish them out later), the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, English peas and salt & pepper. Let this all cook together on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Now would be a good time to pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Back to the potatoes: Add the butter, garlic powder, sour cream and salt to the potatoes and whip with a hand mixer on medium speed until just creamy. Fill your piping bag/tool using a large star tip, if using, and set aside…you’re almost there.

Remove the spent rosemary sprigs from the vegetable filling. Make sure you get all the woody stems, those are no fun to chomp down on! Add the browned turkey and the caramelized corn to the vegetable filling.

Transfer mixture to an oven safe baking dish, making sure to leave about an inch of clearance from the top. I used a 2 quart round dish. This would also be really cute in individual-sized cast iron pans, but I don’t have those. Yet.

Pipe the potatoes onto the top of the filling. If you don’t have a piping bag, smooth individual spoonfuls of potatoes onto the filling mixture, starting around the edges and working your way to the center. Whether you’re using the piping or spooning method, make sure the potatoes create a good seal over the filling.

Into your 400 degree oven it goes, MAKE SURE to put a cookie sheet or piece of foil under it because it will most likely drip…mine does every time. =)

Bake for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. If it’s bubbling around the edges but the potatoes aren’t the color you want, you can broil it for 1-2 minutes but watch it very, very, very carefully!

The insides will be scorching hot, so let it cool and set up for at least 5 minutes before serving. Dish up and enjoy! This one makes great leftovers too!